[Sca-cooks] Minor rant - allergies and following directions

[Susan Fox]

That is a good question, Stefan.  Actually, thickening with bread was 
stated as an option in one of the main courses.  I chose not to do so 
Just In Case.  Good call.  Seeing as people asked for refills, they 
don't seem to have missed the texture modification.

Selene C.

On 5/8/12 8:38 PM, Stefan li Rous wrote:
> Selene said:
> <<< I recently ran a feast for about 60 where two celiacs showed up 
> without
> notice.  This could have been a problem, but I had been under the
> influence of my incipient mother-in-law, also celiac, and had carefully
> NOT thickened anything with bread crumbs or the like.>>>
>
> Were you intentionally not cooking with breadcrumbs? Or did your 
> particular menu not use them?
>
> Bread crumbs were a very common method of thickening things in period 
> cooking. I would hate to see us changing the medieval dishes we serve 
> just because one or two people might have problems with one ingredient.
>
> Even more so if something is avoided because there might be a 
> hypothetical person who might show up and have a problem with an 
> ingredient.
>
> And even more so, changing a medieval dish into a modern one because 
> of such concerns.
>
> Your second paragraph tells me you might not have meant this as I read 
> it, and that your menu just happened not to need bread crumbs.
> <<< It being from early Persian sources, if anyone had showed up with a
> killer allergy to ALMONDS, there would have been a real problem.
> Happily, that did not happen, this time. >>>
>
> However, at risk of making myself the target of all the celiacs out 
> there, or others with special diet requests, I don't think we should 
> be making things less period for everyone to met the needs of a few. 
> especially when the situation being concerned about may be hypothetical.
>
> I've seen this come up before in other discussions where people wanted 
> to rule out camping sites because they were difficult to navigate in 
> wheelchairs.
>
> Stefan